For the uninitiated, the Ring cycle is a series of four operas written by composer Richard Wagner over the course of 25 years. They tell the story of the rise and fall of the Gods (most specifically Wotan- their leader) and the start of the human race. There's a LOT of music (nearly 15 hours worth) and it's all linked together by a series of "leitmotivs" that are either sung onstage or played in the orchestra (which numbers over 100 players).It's quite possibly the finest achievements in music ever. Certainly it's one of the most influential and controversial works ever written. I'm not going to go into a lengthy rave about this music but no matter how many times I hear this I always find something new- some nook or cranny in the score that I missed on the previous 20 outings through the Ring. The music itself never fails to move me. I've just recently finished watching a cycle filmed in Valencia in Spain which utilized a troupe of movement specialists (I'm loathe to use the term dancers because there was no real dancing) as well as state of the art back-projection to tell the story. At the end of the second opera the god Wotan bids farewell to his daughter, Brunnhilde. It's a sad and powerful moment (especially if you've been watching the action unfold for the opera and a bit) and even now the music that Wagner wrote for this moment is one of the most achingly beautiful melodies that I still almost burst into tears every time. Conductor Zubin Mehta states that he finds the remaining 15 or so minutes of the opera incredibly hard to conduct as he's fighting back the tears as well. It's wonderful when music can still elicit the same emotional connection everytime you hear it. it also shows that for all his faults as person (by all accounts Wagner was a massive egomaniac and a generally unpleasant man to be around) Wagner knew how to find that raw nerve and emotion musically. If you never listen to another opera (or series of operas) again I strongly challenge you all to take the plunge and discover this amazing work for yourself.
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From one extreme to another and I want to talk about the anonymous facebooker known as "Adelaide Knows". I find it curious that this person has almost succeeded in uniting the Adelaide Theatre Community. Anyone with half a braincell can slag off a show anonymously. If this person (whoever they may be) had any kind of spine they'd say their vitriol with their name attached. In the past I've come under fire for things I've either said outright or implied on this blog or on my Facebook comments. Indeed as a consequence I've occasionally written status updates only to delete them a few hours later for fear of reprisals. There are things I could say about aspects of local theatre that are bugging me but I find it unhelpful to do so- and more to the point it won't change anything except that people will start to see me as a whinging old so and so. Maybe this is what Adelaide Knows is trying to avoid. Well to them I say that's tough. It's bad enough when you slag off a show ("Dirty Rotten Scoundrels- yawn") but then you slag off individuals like Ben Finn or Hayley Horton- both of whom I daresay have done more for Adelaide Theatre then you EVER have- and you cross a line. I realize that my comments are not going to bring this mysterious person out of the shadows (indeed it will probably garner some subtle (or not-so subtle) reference in one of their status updates about how easily I am riled). In some ways it is sad that people are not allowed to speak their mind in this town but then again I was always taught the old adage that if you have nothing good to say then don't say it. Ah well, maybe by taking some fire it will divert their attention from other things. I believe that's called taking one for the team.
Who knows?
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